Morecambe MP asks Prime Minister for help with ‘Heysham 3’

David Morris, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, speaking to Theresa May during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, September 13 2017.

Published:10:34Thursday 14 September 2017

The MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale has asked the Prime Minister to help his campaign for a third nuclear power station at Heysham.

David Morris raised the issue with Theresa May at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

Mr Morris asked Mrs May: “Would the Prime Minister help me, in any way possible, with my already ongoing campaign to get the third nuclear power station built quicker in Heysham, the tentatively linked Heysham 3 Power Station?”

He also thanked her for putting him in touch with Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry to help with another ongoing campaign to get an Enterprise Zone to help businesses in Heysham.

Mrs May replied: “Well once again my Honorable Friend is campaigning tirelessly for his constituency, and I welcome his efforts across a number of issues as he has referred to.

“We do need affordable clean energy to keep the lights on and in the decades ahead and he’s absolutely right that nuclear energy is an important part of our energy mix.

“Now as regards to the particular site: I believe that there is land next to the existing Heysham Nuclear Power Station, which is one of the eight sites in the UK that has been designated for new nuclear build.”

Speaking afterwards, Mr Morris said he was happy with Mrs May’s answer.

“She reaffirmed her commitment to power station builds and that’s exactly what we wanted to hear,” he said.

“We will have ongoing talks with the energy secretary and people in his department.

“Heysham 3 is imperative to save jobs and also to protect the energy supply chain.”

Land next to the existing Heysham power stations has been on the Government’s list of preferred sites for new nuclear plants since 2010.

But French company EDF Energy, owners of Heysham power stations, has consistently said they have no plans to build a third station at Heysham, preferring to focus on building a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset – which began earlier this year – and others which they say are higher priority than Heysham.

Mr Morris said in September 2016: “It may well be that EDF aren’t actually the ones that will build the new station, which is why I will be speaking to the secretary of state about committing to the project and underwriting it with funds.”

A third power station is unlikely to happen until one of the other two stations is decommissioned.